Tribulations
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: Sequel to Trials. Things are different. And not good different. Ria, Isaac, and Sara have been noticing strange things about their lives that no one else seems to view as odd. When the source of the trouble is discovered, the solution seems as impossible as the situation itself. Ria has to travel back in time and find the problem before the damage is irreparable.
1. Prologue

A/N- As promised, the prologue to the sequel of Trials (which, if you're just now joining us, is the sequel to Untested), has arrived! Now, I have a mega-crap-ton worth of WIPs that I need to be working on (and that's a _precise_ measurement, by the way.). So it'll be a little bit before you see chapter one following this. But, obviously, I'm committed to this story that I'm taking my good ol' time to tell. So if there's a long wait between updates (pfft, if, haha), never fear! I'm simply working on other things and shall make my way back around. But I've got some pretty loyal readers with this tale, and for that, you have my sincerest thanks. Nothing makes me happier than reading your reviews, for good or for ill. Also, on a positive note, finishing Trials was one of my New Year's resolutions this year, so yay! Now I've gotta finish a couple more of my fics that I promised I would this year. Yikes. So, yeah… let's just get this puppy started, shall we?

Disclaimer- I don't own Castlevania. It all belongs to Konami. Believe me; I'm making no money off of this. This applies to all chapters.

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Prologue

It amused him to imagine the faces of his young students, should they happen upon his home. Of course, this would never happen. Being a centuries old alchemist came with certain talents that he had employed on his surroundings. If any of his history students happened to actually discover the address listed as Mr. Hamm's home address, they would only get so far before they were suddenly compelled away.

The Master Librarian of the (currently) crumbled Castlevania, chuckled, stroking his long beard. Yes, what a sight they would come upon indeed. The outside of the quaint little, two bed one bath home was nothing spectacular. White siding, black shingles, and blue shutters on every window. However, if one ever ventured indoors, they would find the space drastically changed. The rooms were dark, uncarpeted, and nearly every room had its walls covered with bookshelves that were just laden with tomes covering practically any subject. But the Librarian trusted his spells, knowing that no one without his invitation would ever make it past the front, white picket fence. So he had dropped his "Mr. Hamm" persona, making himself comfortable for the job at hand.

Runes and symbols were drawn all about the floors and walls, with a small end table standing in the center of the room. And on the table was drawn yet more symbols, with a large, pewter bowl standing in the center of the space. The Master Librarian approached the bowl, muttering in languages long dead and gone, adding ingredient after ingredient. Smoke rose up, curling toward the ceiling with each new addition, the only change being the color. It began as white, but now, several potion ingredients later, it was a deep purple.

He had been paid well to perform this spell, a dangerous one. His employer had given him quite a good item indeed, one that most would have difficultly acquiring. But this employer… he seemed very good at getting the things that he needed. And this job, request, whatever one might call it, was an odd one. Dangerous, but not obviously so. And the Librarian had not inquired as to why it had to be done just so. Like any good hired sorcerer, he took his payment and did as asked, no further questions necessary. Long, long years of servitude to Count Dracula had taught him that sometimes, one is better left unknowing.

"_Ego vocant super te, Viator aut Tempus. Coram me, sicut ego praecipio._"

He chanted the phrase over and over, adding more and more to the bowl on the table. Finally, with a finally command of "_obedio_," he threw into the bowel a lit bundle of herbs. Flames shot out of the pewter container, nearly licking the ceiling of the home. But they died down as quickly as they rose, and several feet away from the table, in the center of another symbol, a circle of light filled the room so blindingly bright that the Librarian had to shield his eyes.

When it finally cleared, the old man grinned. Standing in the center of the symbol was an oddly dressed man with long blond hair, white slacks, a red jacket, and a black top hat on… a look strangely reminisce of another time. Mostly, the Master Librarian just found himself reminded of a circus ring master. The new arrival looked genuinely perplexed as he surveyed his surroundings. Finally, raising a hand to his mustached face, his eyes landed on the Librarian.

"Why have you summoned me here?"

There was no malice in his words. No accusation at all. Just simple curiosity.

"I've done more than summon you here, Saint Germain. I've bound you to a task of my choosing that requires talents that only one such as yourself possesses."

Germain crossed his arms across his crimson jacket and huffed, a little incredulously.

"So you have. Foolishly so, perhaps, but I must do as you ask of me. What is this task you require? Do you wish me to pass a warning of some impending doom? Make sure something or someone is in the right place at the right time? Or at the wrong time?"

"Something of that nature. You see, my employer has a rather odd request, but a simple one at heart. You are to venture into the past, into the year 1797 to be precise. Before Young Master Alucard awakens from his slumber to battle his immortal father."

Germain's arms went a little lax, and one eyebrow arched.

"This involves the son of Dracula?" he asked.

The Librarian nodded. "Indeed. You are to move him from his current tomb, to this location."

He tossed the time traveler a tightly folded slip of paper. It just barely made it within his reach, but Germain caught it nevertheless. He unfolded it, gave it one look-over, and returned his gaze back to the man who had summoned him.

"Alucard is an integral part of the history of that year. What would you have me do once I have moved him here?" Germain asked, slipping the paper inside his jacket.

"Nothing. That is all my employer required."

"An unusual request, simple but deceptively dangerous. To interrupt the time stream in this way… Well, I assume you are aware of the butterfly effect?"

"I am. As is my employer."

"Then may I go on record as saying that this is a rather _large_ butterfly? If something should happen, and the dhampire not awaken… the world of today, as well as the world then, would face mortal peril."

The Master Librarian crossed his arms. "You have your task, Germain. And I have bound you to perform it."

"As you've already stated," Germain noted. Raising a single, slender finger, he added, "But be forewarned. There are greater dangers of opening a tear in the time stream. I am not the only creature able to sense, and manipulate, it. There are others who would seek to do this world harm. By interacting directly with an important event, especially the one you've bound me to interfere with, I am inviting others to interfere as well. And they might not be as mindful of the damage as I."

"Again, something else my employer was aware of. He is prepared to deal with any consequences, but he _does_ except your complete and utter caution. Really, Germain, you simply seem to be parroting him."

Germain huffed out a short snort of laughter. "Then perhaps his plan, whatever it may be, will work toward the greater good of the world as it seems he is not as foolish as I thought."

The Librarian grimaced. "To your task, Saint Germain. And return here once it is completed so that my employer may know."

Germain tipped his large, black top hat just ever so slightly. "Very well. Consider it already done."

#

Elsewhere, further back in the time stream, one such manipulator—the likes of which Germain had warned the Librarian of—became aware of the tear.

Locked in his watery cell, his white hair long and stringy from hours—or had it been days? Months? Years?—of simply sitting in a dark and dismal corner and plotting, the vampire known as Joachim Armster suddenly sat up, fully erect and attentive. He sniffed the air, rising to his feet as he began to circle his chamber—the chamber that damned _Walter_ had locked him in—the hem of his blue coat sweeping up the dust into small swirls in the stale air. He continued to sniff and turn and circle for several more moments before his shoulders hunched just a little, and his movements became more like a man sneaking, searching.

Just as suddenly as he had begun his movements, the vampire stopped. A wide grin broke across his face as he did a single turn in place.

"Someone is _playing_ with time," he said.

Quickly, he turned, facing the far wall of his cell. He conjured a spectral word and sent it flying from him. Moments before the tip of its blade were to collide with the wall, a flash of light appeared. A tear—something like a ripped seam in an article of clothing—appeared where the flash had taken place. Swirled colors—reds, blues, and hundreds of others—appeared beyond the tear.

"So long… It's been so long since I've had a stroll," Joachim said, walking—almost dancing—toward the tear. "Walter thinks he's so smart. That he's so powerful. Sealed me here. _Starved_ me. Well, I'll just have some fun!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Joachim entered the seam.

It was a short walk, as time travels usually were, and Joachim suddenly found himself in an altogether different location. Thankfully, as seen through the small window that was just below the ceiling of the stone structure—the scent of death told him it was a mausoleum—it was nightfall, as the half moon shone as brightly as it dared. The sound of solid rock being drug across its like alerted him, and he leapt for the cover of the shadows behind a large, ornate statue of an angel. The angel had three more of its kind about the room, each at the corners, and their wings supported the ceiling while their bodies bent forward in prayer. Joachim sneered as he leaned as far out as he dared, searching for the source of the noise.

In the center of the mausoleum—which was lit by torchlight from two braziers at the entrance of the building—was a large, granite casket. A man dressed very strangely in crimson, black, and white with an over-large hat leaned over the open tomb. He swept his blond hair over his shoulder and tsked.

"The Librarian's employer must be a strange man indeed, to dare alter such an important event in the timeline. You know, I've always found it humorous, so to speak, that you—the son of Lord Dracula—played such an important part in things. And that you play so many parts in the time yet to come."

Dracula? This was a name that Joachim did not know. But he felt power—muted, but there nonetheless—from within that tomb. That was no dead thing inside, yet it was not one of his kind. Intrigued, the vampire listened on.

"A half blooded vampire, and the son of the self-made King of Vampires. Life is truly a funny thing. But you'll be safe here, Alucard—and I know you can't hear me. This is actually quite a secure location. I do wish I knew the Librarian's employer. A clever man, indeed, to have you moved from your original location to this. You'll be easily located… but not so much so to be in any danger."

With that, the strange man replaced the lid on the casket. He turned, tugging his hat down over his eyes, and muttered some words in Latin. Another seam tore open in front of him, but this time, Joachim did not follow. Once the stranger had disappeared, Joachim stepped out into the open, a wickedly gleeful grin on his face.

He sauntered over to the casket, sliding the lid off as easily as if it were made of nothing. He arched a brow as he gazed down at the slumbering man instead. He was dressed in regal finery, ebony hemmed with gold. His white-blond hair was splayed across a dusty pillow, and although he was in the deepest slumber, he appeared as if dead.

A half-blooded vampire? One scent of the man's blood confirmed it, but Joachim had not known that such a thing was possible. The vampire leaned over, so close to the half-blood that his own hair skirted the slumbering man's features. Suddenly, Alucard's gloved hand twitched.

"Alerted to danger. Clever, clever. I'll take care of that. _Videre me non_."

Joachim passed his hand over Alucard's face as he muttered the spell, and all signs of the half-blood threatening wakefulness disappeared. Laughing, the vampire turned and leaned against the open tomb.

"Wonder, wonder, wonder… So much to wonder!" Joachim said, clapping his hands.

The sound echoed loudly about the mausoleum, but he paid it no mind. With his little spell, and the scent of death all around him, he knew that there was no one in miles to hear the noise.

"Moved from your original home, were you, half-blood?" Joachim said, leaning back over Alucard. "Why would you be moved? To what end? And what are these 'important parts' that that strange little creature spoke of? Hmm?"

He grew silent for a moment, as if expecting Alucard to answer. After another moment, Joachim chuckled.

"Oh, yes. That's right. Well, never you mind, _Alucard_. I'm here to have a little fun. Starting with giving you _another_ fun new home!"

Joachim covered the tomb once again, taking a seat upon its lid. Whatever this place was, _whenever_ this place was… this was going to be a whole new batch of fun. Especially since dearest _Walter_ did not seem to be the vampire of power any longer.

"My, my, isn't the future bright?"

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End Notes: Nice beginning, isn't it? And I'm sure it's left you with plenty of questions. Which, I think, is how all good beginnings should be. As stated in the author's note, it'll be a while, but I shall return. Meanwhile, why don't I translate all that Latin I used this chapter? Also, for anyone out there who might have actually _studied_ Latin, like in a class or something, I used what knowledge I had gathered over my years of fandom reading and Google translate. So be kind. Please review!

Latin Translations:

_Ego vocant super te, Viator aut Tempus_= I call upon you, Traveler of Time

_Coram me, sicut ego praecipio_= Appear before me

_Obedio_= obey

_Videre me non_= See me not


	2. Some Time Later

A/N- Okay, so here's the next chapter of Tribulations! Um, yeah, let me tell you what's been going on with me. I did Twisting the Hellmouth's August Fic-a-Day and won—31 fics in 31 days ranging from 300 words to 3000 words per fic. I've done a reverse summer mini bang in the Supernatural fandom called "Don't Drink the Water." And I've signed up for an untold amount of bangs—both big and mini. I've recently completed the Supernatural Hardcore Big Bang with a story titled "Length of Chain." I've also completed a Supernatural Reverse Bang entitled "The Late Goodbye." I also did two Supernatural Reverse Halloween Micro Bangs. On top of that, I've been an artist for some other people's bangs. I've also turned in two drafts, one Big one Mini, to the CW Bang. I also signed up for Wishlist again. Busy busy in the world of fandom, not to mention my original fiction deadlines. Also, in RL, I recently started a new job and moved. So, if anyone was wondering where I was… I was at LiveJournal. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1- Some Time Later

Summer. It seemed like it had taken forever for it to get here. And, now that Ria was finally fully aware that it was here… it was a little over halfway gone. In fact, her birthday—and this came as a shock more to her than anybody else—was tomorrow.

The rest of the school year seemed to do a fine mixture of passing both at a crawl and at speeds previously unknown to mankind. The school had done a memorial to Keisha—the story of her death being a tragic hiking accident, since no one would actually believe the truth. Ria and Isaac had finally decided to date, as odd as a concept as that was for her when she really stopped to think about it. After all, given the age difference—even the larger one that the general public was unaware of—it felt weird to refer to him as her boyfriend. And she was taking it slow, given their history—and yes, their age—so she couldn't call him her lover. And he already lived with her, but roommate seemed so impersonal. Most days, she just introduced him as "Isaac" and held his hand so people could form their own conclusions.

History class had gotten a bit easier for her, given the fact that she knew the truth behind her bitchiest teacher, Mr. Hamm. Knowing that he was really an ages old librarian for the vampire king, Dracula, really tends to get you some slack. Granted, not much. Honestly, like the truth behind her best friend's death, she could not really tell anyone. But it was still nice to lord that over Hamm in private every now and again. Not that she did not let seemingly innocent remarks loose in class to keep him on his toes occasionally. Only occasionally.

But, the best thing to have happened to Ria, aside from her relationship with Isaac, had to be her mother finally coming to her senses. It had taken almost the entire school year, but about one or two months previous, Sophy had finally dumped Darren. Ria did not know what had finally done it, but she did not care. Darren was gone, and it was good riddance as far as she was concerned. It did not seem to beat Sophy up too much either there at the end.

Aside from that, life had been fairly normal for Ria. As normal as it got for her. She continued with her training, going harder than ever before. Alucard—or Genya Arikado, as he was going by these days—had returned to Japan, but the two kept in fairly regular contact… much to Isaac's chagrin. She went out almost nightly putting down everything from freshly made vampires to animated skeletons. Nothing major, really. And, as soon as school had ended, Ria had decided that it was high time that she got a job, for the experience—and to have something to herself other than her vampire hunting… something she could actually talk to everyday people about. The café that she was so fond of hanging out at happened to be hiring right at the start of the summer, and Ria had gotten the job almost too easily. She had been trained to do every part of the job from the register, to the drink making, to waiting on tables. Often, Isaac liked to show up and teasingly harass her during work. Depending on the day she had had, these visits could be either funny or just flat annoying. And frequently, she kept her whip on her, which meant that Sara had taken up shop in a little-used corner seat in the café, sitting patiently until the end of Ria's shift.

"You are taking _forever_," Isaac whined now as Ria bussed down the table in front of him.

He did not even lift his elbow, forcing Ria to move awkwardly around him. She rolled her eyes.

"My shift is almost over. Just another fifteen minutes, okay?" she muttered.

Isaac sighed weightily, mimicking her eye roll. "It feels like I've been here all day. _All... day_. I don't know how you do it."

"Well, some of us have _real_ jobs, not just sitting in front of a computer putting up items for sale that might cause their girlfriends to potentially have to kill the buyer."

He grinned at her, a mischievous look in his eye. "Ouch. Bad day, sweetness?"

Ria sighed. He kept trying out nicknames for her, and although she found most pleasant, it seemed as if he would never settle on one. Right now she was "sweetness." In five minutes, she might be "pet." Actually, if that was the truth, she would have to call him down. She did not like "pet." Too demeaning when she thought about it too long. She leaned up, stretching her back.

"Not really. We've just been super busy for some reason. It's only gotten slow like five minutes ago, when _you_ showed up," she answered.

He put on a pouting face, but that playful look remained in his eyes. "Aww. Seems no one loves me but you."

His hand snaked up to the hem of the pencil-line, black skirt that was a part of the otherwise simple black-and-white uniform of the café. Before he could sneak a finger underneath, she whapped him with the wet towel, and he drew his hand back, hissing with pain but laughing a little.

"You're going to get me fired one of these days," she said.

"You could've just said 'no,' you know," he said, rubbing the red welt forming from where she hit him.

Ria ignored him, glancing behind the café's front counter to see the time. She sighed. There was still a whole ten minutes before she could clock out. Her eyes caught her co-worker, Katherine, who had been put on register duty. The girl—several years older than Ria, at least in her early twenties, but still retaining her youthful look—smiled and did an exaggerated sigh. Ria grinned and nodded. It looked like she was not the only one who was ready for this workday to end. She turned back to Isaac, not caring to spend her last minutes just talking with her boyfriend… significant other… whatever. Even the manager on duty was leaning against the counter with a vaguely dazed look on his face. And besides, Ria had worked her ass off during the rush.

"How was mom when you left?" she asked.

Isaac's playfulness vanished long enough for him to answer.

"She was still a bit nauseous, but nothing more than the usual stomach flu, she supposes. She felt fine when I left, was even up, humming while she prepared for dinner."

Ria nodded. Sophy had been kind of ill lately, and while it gave her much cause for alarm, no one else seemed as worried about it, including Sophy herself. They all wrote it off as some sort of stomach flu or something, but what kind of stomach flu lasted for two weeks? Isaac, when she had first expressed this concern to him, had suggested—after some internet research—that perhaps it was pneumonia. But Ria had had pneumonia when she was much younger. She had been confined to bed for two weeks, give or take. Everyone just kept brushing off the fact that Sophy seemed unable to keep food down lately, so Ria tried to best to keep her paranoia in check.

"Any plans after work, darling?" Isaac asked after a moment.

Well, 'darling' was nice. Ria shrugged. "I thought we'd go train a bit before dinner."

Without any warning, Sara materialized in the booth seat across from Isaac, her brows knit together.

"Ria, you know that you can ease up a bit. You've more than tripled your normal training regimen. You'll exhaust yourself."

Ria sighed, and Isaac glanced up at her.

"Sara chastising you about your training?"

She nodded.

"Good. Because she's right. You need to slow it down," he said.

Sara practically glowed in her triumph. Ria desperately wanted to argue, but she sensed that her mentor was not done yet, so she just stayed silent.

"You've barely any time for yourself, you know," Sara continued, almost on cue. "You're either at work, out training, or visiting Sergeant Stone. Now, I'm not arguing with visiting Keisha's dad. I really think that's the best of your new little routine… but you've barely spent any time with your mother. Or in your home at all, for that matter. The only reason, honestly, you see Isaac so often is because of the training, I believe. You need to calm yourself."

"I am calm," Ria said through gritted teeth, causing Isaac to snort with laughter.

"It's not your fault that Keisha died," Sara said softly.

Ria felt her heart thud hard against her chest. She whirled, muttering something about visiting Stone after work and having to clock out. She dropped off her short, white apron right after clocking out, confirmed that she was indeed off the next day, and jerked her head toward the exit as she leaned heavily on the glass door to leave. Isaac followed after.

The two them loaded in Ria's Kia Rio, and Sara materialized in the backseat, sitting so that she was clearly visible to Ria in the rearview mirror. She pulled out into the road, and the car was silent for a moment, before Sara finally sighed.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. But that doesn't make what I said any less true," she said softly.

Ria's lips pulled down into a deep frown before she glanced up at Sara, forcing a smile to replace it.

"I know."

She wanted to say more, about how Sara had hit the nail on the head. About how Ria did still blame herself for her best friend's death last fall at the hands of Galamoth's followers. Sara was not stupid. She knew she was exactly right about Ria upping her training time. There was another moment of silence before Ria smiled at the others in the car.

"Everyone's okay with following me to Sgt. Stone's house, right?" she asked as brightly as she could muster.

"Of course," Isaac said, resting a hand on her knee.

"Yes," Sara said with a sigh.

She was not quite done with Ria, and Ria could spot that a mile away. But going to Benjamin Stone's house—Keisha's father—was working as a suitable distraction. Yes, it was another something Ria had added to her routine as a result of blaming herself for Keisha's death. However, that was only how it had started. Guilt was the reason for the first few visits that started late last fall. Then, one day, it had occurred to Ria that if _she_ missed Keisha so badly, then it must be practically killing Sgt. Stone to be without his only child. So a sort of kindred-ship had formed. Now, she liked to think that they were just friends.

The car was still too silent for Ria's liking, and she had a bad feeling that she was the reason it was so down. Forcing another smile to her face, she tried her best to perk up the subject matter.

"I turn seventeen tomorrow," she said matter-of-factly.

Isaac smiled coyly, like that statement had been some sort of irresistible bait. His hand squeezed her knee, and she slid her glance off the road to a moment to catch the sparkle in his eye.

"Got any _special_ plans?" he asked.

Ria's brow furrowed. Honestly, until that morning when she had woken up for work, she had forgotten about her birthday. She shrugged.

"Um… not really. I honestly thought I'd be spending the night training, especially since I have the day off," she said.

Isaac seemed a bit perturbed by that answer, and a small cough called Ria's attention to the backseat. Being that Sara was dead, there would really be only one reason for her to cough.

"I think you and Isaac should do something else," she said. "Something special. Perhaps a romantic dinner? I think that was sort of what he was hinting at, dear."

Ria wanted to facepalm. Of course that was what Isaac was looking so down about. She hated being so new to the whole dating thing. Every one of her previous relationships had been on an elementary level, back before hormones factored into things. She turned to Isaac and with the brightest smile she could muster, she playfully punched him across the arm.

"After dinner, of course. And cake. I must have cake. And none of that crappy whipped cream topping either. _Real_ icing. It's my birthday. A frosted chocolate chip cookie would also be acceptable."

Isaac laughed. "And coffee, right?"

Ria shrugged. "That's a given."

Moments later, Ria pulled up and parked at Sgt. Stone's house. She walked to the front door of the rather small, nice house that would not have looked out of place in a suburban setting, trailed by Isaac and Sara. Her fist lifted to knock on the door, but just before her knuckles could connect, Sara cried out.

Ria whirled, finding her mentor with her hands wrapped about her stomach, doubled over.

"Sara? What's wrong?" she said, rushing to the ghost's side.

"What's happening?" Isaac asked.

"Sara looks like she's hurt," Ria explained.

Sara cried out again, gripping her translucent body tighter before, finally, the pain seemed to pass. Panting—out of habit, Ria supposed—Sara straightened herself.

"I don't… I don't know what happened," she said, as Ria floated a hand above her friend's shoulder, as if resting on it.

"I didn't think ghosts got stomach cramps," Ria murmured.

"It wasn't a cramp. It was like… like it started in my stomach and spread out. Like something was pulling at my insides… which, as you know, is extra odd," Sara said.

"Any idea?" Ria asked.

Sara shook her head as the door to the house opened. Benjamin Stone, dressed in a pair of jeans and a plain, army green t-shirt, his shaved bald head actually gleaming in the afternoon's setting sun, appeared in the doorway.

"Wondered if you were going to knock or just loiter about," he said with a smile.

"Just… talking to Sara," Ria said lightly. "May we come in?"

Stone sidestepped, waving them in. He motioned for them to get comfortable in the living room while he finished up whatever it was he was doing in the kitchen. Ria took her favorite seat, the fluffier end of the beige couch, as her eyes roved the room. Immediately, she knew that something was off. She had spent a lot of time in this room over the past several months, and one of the things that seemed to comfort her were the various pictures that covered the walls of Keisha. Now, not one remained. There were a few pictures of Sgt. Stone receiving honors or something during his military training… one that looked like some sort of graduation photo of himself… but none of his deceased daughter. This struck her hard, and she pursed her lips.

For a while, she and Stone both had what they had taken to calling "bad days." Days when missing Keisha was the worst, and those days turned out to be a bit destructive in some form or another. During one such bad day, Stone had even showed up to hunt some vampires down with Ria, Isaac, and Sara. Ria liked to kill undead monsters on her bad days as well… she also liked to randomly throw things at a wall. But it had been a long time since either one of them had had a bad day, or so she had thought. It was entirely possible, Ria supposed, that packing away all visible reminders of his daughter might have been a part of one of Stone's bad days. So, when the sergeant reentered the room, taking a seat in a recliner that faced the rest of the seats in the room, Ria decided not to say anything about it.

"So, how is everything? How's work?" Stone asked, crossing his dark-skinned arms over his chest.

"Oh, busy. We had quite a rush today. They tell me it won't be like that, not until evening shift, when school starts back," Ria said.

"Makes sense," Stone nodded. "And how's your mom? Still not feeling well?"

Ria shook her head, and Stone seemed to sense her anxiety, so he breezed right past that subject.

"Your mom called just a little while ago, saying she was thinking about making a cake for your birthday tomorrow. She thought about having a small get together or something, wanted to know if I wanted to come."

Ria smiled, sighing. "That sounds nice. Isaac and I were thinking about going out tomorrow too."

"Ah, yes. Will this be your first official date, or have the two of you been counting those training sessions?"

"I hope we've been counting the sessions, otherwise we're sadly behind on dates," Isaac drawled, and Ria elbowed him.

Stone laughed, sighing. "And, your uncle. How's he?"

"Oh, Uncle Jason's fine. He and my aunt are thinking of trying for a baby," Ria said, ending her statement with a little gasp.

Stone narrowed his gaze at her. "What's wrong, Ria?"

Ria pressed her hand to her mouth. "That's not… upsetting, is it? Talking about that?"

The military man raised a brow. "Why would it be?"

"O… kay. All right," Ria said, exchanging a look with Isaac.

Stone seemed just so… cheerful. Not that he was the picture of depression or anything. He had been, lately, dealing with things quite well actually. But this aloofness he seemed to be having was new, and even Isaac—who usually just let Sara and Ria go out to visit Sgt. Stone, as he viewed it as one of his self-named "Ria Things," defined as things that "Ria thinks that Ria needs to do, absolutely without question"—seemed to notice it. Shaking her head, Ria glanced over at Sara, who now had a hand pressed, daintily, against her forehead. The ghostly woman waved her other hand dismissively when she caught her trainee looking. Something was up, but Ria looked back at Stone, ready to move on and drop all of it.

"So, Mom's trying to put together a party for me?" she said.

Stone laughed. "Yeah, yeah. But who can blame her? It's not every day that your little girl turns seventeen. Granted, it's also not every day that your little girl fights monsters as a part of a destiny or whatever, but I guess that's a little harder to throw a party for."

Ria pursed her lips. There should have been a different tone there… a longing, maybe even a little bitterness. But he had been downright chipper. Ria glanced over at her whip-bound friend, seeing her grow increasingly worse.

"Um, we might have to go soon," Ria noted, locking meaningful eyes with Isaac. After the former forgemaster nodded, she turned back to Stone, adding, "There's just something I wanted to say before we go."

"Sure," Stone said, a little perplexed. "What?"

"The pictures… where are they?"

Ria gestured to the nearly bare walls, and Stone followed the move with narrowed eyes.

"What are you talking about, Ria?"

"The pictures of Keisha," she said. "I mean, having a bad day is one thing… but packing away all of her pictures will only hurt more in the long run."

She was by no means an expert in this sort of thing, but Ria had found—both after her father had died, then Keisha—that this seemed to be the truth.

"Ria… you're not making any sense," Stone huffed. "Who are you talking about?"

It was everything Ria had in her, right then and there, not to grab her cell phone and call a doctor. However, she stopped short, thinking that—given her luck—a doctor was not what she would probably need. A sorcerer might be closer. She all but shot up out of her seat, and she noticed how Isaac and Sara followed closely behind. With a smile, she tried to wave it off, and Stone seemed to buy it, standing with a smile.

"We've gotta go. Gotta get home," Ria said.

"Okay. Well, thanks for dropping by. Tell your mom that I'll be there tomorrow, definitely," he said.

They muttered a few more goodbyes before leaving the house, Ria trying her best to not run to her vehicle. The moment they were on the road, Ria shook her head.

"What the hell was that about?" she asked.

"Something's wrong, mystically," Isaac said.

"Yes. It can't be coincidence that I have that terrible pain sweep over me… and now it seems that Sergeant Stone can't remember his own daughter," Sara said.

"What do you think it is?" Ria asked, her grip tightening on the steering wheel, the full heat of her glare on the asphalt in front of her. "A forgetfulness spell or something?"

"I don't know," Isaac said. "I might be able to know more once we're at the manor, with my supplies."

Ria nodded and went silent for the rest of the ride, seething the whole way. God help the thing that was casting forgetfulness spells, she thought. Forgetfulness spells to make people forget _Keisha_… because when Ria found out who was at the cause they might find themselves begging for death. She all but rammed her car into the driveway outside Belmont Manor as the group piled out. They all stalked up toward the front door, taking the small set of stairs up to it two at a time, when Sara cried out again.

"Oh no," Ria said, her hand just above the doorknob.

"Something's… wrong… here… too," Sara groaned, doubled over in just the same way she had been at Stone's.

Ria shoved into her home as if she were expecting a horde of enemies to be waiting for her—which, honestly, would not be the first time. But, instead, she could only hear Sophy, humming from somewhere in the direction of the kitchen.

"Mom?" Ria called.

"Oh, Ria, you're home," Sophy said, meeting her daughter halfway in the dining room.

"Mom, is something wrong? How are you? Are you still sick?" Ria asked, almost attacking her mother with a hug.

Sophy laughed, returning the hug. "Oh, much better. And nothing's wrong. Why would something be wrong?"

Ria shook her head. "I'll tell you when I can explain it. Um… we're gonna go do a spell, okay, Mom? Because something _is_ wrong elsewhere, and we need to figure it out, fast."

Concern flashed across Sophy's pale features the moment before she gave a curt nod.

"Okay. But be careful… magic is unpredictable from what I hear."

From Uncle Jason and Alucard, Ria mentally added, but she nodded, turning toward the stairs in the foyer, Isaac and Sara leading the way.

"Will you be done in time for dinner?" Sophy called after.

Ria was only two stairs up when she stopped. "I don't know."

Sophy pursed her lips, resting on the threshold between the dining room and the foyer. "Try to be, please? Darren will be over soon, and I've got some news I've got to tell you both."

Ria's eyes almost popped out of her head.

"_What_?" she asked.

Sophy arched a brow. "What is it?"

"When did you and Darren get back together?"

The look Ria got clearly asked the question, "Are you ill, mentally?" Her mother shook her head.

"Honey… we've never broken up. It's been almost a year we've been together."

Sara, Isaac, and Ria all exchanged looks. On a whim, Ria leaned forward on the banister.

"Mom… do you remember my friend, Keisha?" she asked.

Sophy pondered that question a moment before shaking her head. "No. When did I meet her?"

Ria wanted to vomit. She took a deep breath, counted to ten, and finally forced about the tenth smile onto her face that day.

"Doesn't matter," she tried to say as happily as possible. "We'll hurry."

"Okay," Sophy said, disappearing back into the kitchen.

"I'm seriously going to _kill_ whoever's doing this," Ria hissed, stomping past Isaac on the way up to his room.

Once they were in his rather sparsely kept space, it took him only moments to gather all the necessary ingredients for the spell. He drew a handful of symbols on the floor with various colored sands, set up candles, lit them, and then sat cross-legged in the middle of all of it.

"And this will show you if a forgetfulness spell is in effect?" Ria asked.

"It'll show me if _any_ spells are being worked," Isaac said. "If we can break them, we will, and then we'll get to work on stopping whoever did them in the first place."

At that, Isaac chanted, and Ria kept her eyes on Sara, who seemed a bit wobbly on her feet. Ria reached down, touching the Vampire Killer lightly, which she had disguised as a belt that day—the easier way to keep it on her at work.

"Do you want to retreat?" the huntress asked.

Sara shook her head. "No. No, I'm fine."

She was lying, and Ria could tell. But she did not press the issue as Isaac finished his chants. He sat still for a moment, eyes squeezed shut, before he finally sighed. Reopening his eyes, he shook his head.

"There aren't any spells," he said.

"What?" Ria asked. "That's not possible. Did you do it wrong?"

Isaac got to his feet, brushing off his black, leather pants. He huffed indignantly.

"I most certainly did not, Adriana Smith. Would _you_ like to try?"

Ria rolled her eyes. "No. Thank you. No spells at all?"

He shook his head again. "Only our blood bond… otherwise, nothing."

"Then what the _hell_ is going on?" Ria growled.

"I haven't a clue, sweeting," Isaac said.

Beside her, Sara groaned. "Oh… I don't feel well at all. It seems to be getting stronger, whatever it is."

Ria relayed that to Isaac, who frowned.

"Given the situation, I think we ought to skip dinner tonight. There might something bigger than a spell at work here. And, as I've mentioned before, my magicks are limited in comparison to some. Need a devil created? Then I'm your man. But… need something _bigger_ and more powerful… there's only one man accessible that I can think to go to."

Ria nodded. "The Master Librarian. As much as I hate to say this… let's go visit my history teacher."

* * *

End Notes: And that's the first chapter. I hope it was properly exciting/confusing. Now, as I mentioned in my author's notes, I've made myself very busy as of late, and I'm still trying to outline this story. I know what happens in Tribulations, I've just got to get it all in order. Also, now that I'm looking back, I didn't mention that I'm also doing a Hurt/Comfort bingo card. I've got until Jan. 3rd to do a blackout—well, that's the standard that I'm setting myself to, anyhow. Also, if anyone reading this is also a Supernatural (the TV show) fan, myself and Slinky-And-The-BloodyWands are doing a community on LiveJournal called Supernatural Pairing Bingo that will go live in December. If anyone's interested in joining in, PM me and I'll get you the proper address. Otherwise, please review. I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks!


	3. It's Just a Jump to the Left

A/N- Again, another long wait. Let me catch you up. I still have all those big and mini bangs going—including the fact that I'm late turning some in, signed up for some more, plus I really need to get back on the ball with my original fiction. However, RL decided to kick my ass at the end of December leading into recently. I had a family tragedy strike in that my mother passed away—God rest her soul—which was followed immediately two weeks later by me discovering that I was six weeks pregnant—my first child. I had some terrible morning sickness for about three weeks that is just now starting to chill out, so I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing—which came to a dead stop due to the events above. Oh, and my hours are also being cut willy-nilly at my job, and it's really beginning to piss me off. I applied for a much, much better job that I'm immensely qualified for, so I hope to get a foot in the door and get it. But, to cheer up the rather downer note here, I decided, "what better way to get back into the swing than by writing for one of my favorite stories?" So, here I am at Tribulations. Granted, my outline is a little behind on this story, but—and I think I've mentioned this before—I know what happens in this story, I just have to decide when it happens. Also, if anyone here is a Supernatural fan, the story I mentioned last author's note, Length of Chain, is slowly being added here to my account, if you're interested. Also, I did a Castlevania story for the Undead mini bang entitled "Lullaby of Dissent." It's a direct sequel to Symphony of the Night, if anyone wants to take a peek. Okay, now, seriously, I'm starting the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2- It's Just a Jump to the Left

Ria, Isaac, and Sara jogged down the stairs, hitting the first floor landing hard enough to draw Sophy out of the kitchen. She smiled at them as she dried her hand on a green-and-white checkered hand towel.

"Oh good, that didn't take long at all. You've made it with tons of time to spare," she said.

But Ria frowned, shaking her head. "Mom, we've gotta run an errand. It's super important. I'm sorry."

Sophy mimicked her daughter's expression, her brow furrowed. "So you won't be back in time for dinner? Ria, what's going on?"

Ria sighed. She had nothing to tell her mother. After all, how do you explain that people are forgetting things—_important_ things—when the person you are trying to explain it to is one of the forgetters?

"I don't know if we'll be back in time. And… it's hard to explain. But it's bad, Mom. Bad enough to warrant us having to go. I'm so, so sorry."

"I'll never get used to this," Sophy groaned, shaking her head. Sighing, she added, "But go. If it's that important, go."

Ria walked over to her mother, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll try my best to be back in time, I promise, okay?"

Sophy hugged Ria. "I know. Be careful."

"Always," Ria said as she, Isaac, and Sara left the manor.

As soon as they had loaded into the car, Ria left her fingers lightly touch her makeshift belt—the Vampire Killer. Then, her gaze floated up to the rearview mirror.

"Sara, are you okay?" she asked as she started the car.

But the answer was already clear. Her ghostly companion was in between being reclined fully in the backseat and being curled into the fetal position. But she smiled weakly, shaking her head.

"Not really, but it's all right. I'll be fine," she said bravely, following it up with a soft groan.

Ria glanced at Isaac as soon as they were on the road, almost flooring it as they continued to their destination. Isaac glanced back, as if he could see Sara, then returned his stare to Ria—who had finally put hers on the road.

"The Librarian _will_ be able to help us. I'm sure," he said, wiggling a hand behind her back, trying his best to provide her with some sort of comfort.

Ria gave a small grin, but the look did not last long. There was no comfort to be had for her. Not until she had some sort of answer. Keisha was all but forgotten by everyone she had encountered—save for herself, Isaac, and Sara. Her mother was inexplicably dating Darren once more—like they had never broken up. And Sara was in pain… really bad, gut-wrenching pain. Ria's own gut was left doing somersaults, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white. Whatever was causing all of this… well, she knew that she had not lied to her mother. It was bad. Almost as an afterthought, Ria cast her eyes down to the cell phone she had disregarded in the cubby of her center console. She considered calling Alucard. Would he remember what had happened, what had _really_ happened? But Ria shook her head as the Librarian's home came into view. She could not bear it if yet another person said they did not know who Keisha Stone was.

Once again using her car like a battering ram on an invisible wall, she screeched her way into the adjoining driveway of the rather too-normal home. Ria and Isaac exited the car simultaneously, with Sara beginning to flicker in and out of vision.

"Hang on, Sara," Ria said, arriving at the front door.

She did not even bother to knock. Giving the knob a good, hard twist, she threw the door open, pulling the Vampire Killer from her waist. The Master Librarian—_not_ in his glamour of Mr. Hamm—leapt from the winged-back chair he was sitting in, his overly long gray beard falling nearly to the floor. His eyes flashed dangerously.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

But Ria had no time for his outrage. Sara had disappeared from her sight, and nothing about that made the huntress feel good. She strode forward, cracking the whip just on the Librarian's right side as she stopped a mere foot or so from him.

"I want to know what you've done… _now_," she growled.

"Whatever are you talking about, you daft girl?" he snarled, but it pleased Ria to see that his eyes trailed, worriedly, over to the whip.

"Why can't anyone remember Keisha Stone? Why can't my mother remember dumping Darren Brown? And _why_ is Sara in so much pain? It's not a forgetfulness spell… Isaac and I have already checked for that."

The Librarian's brows furrowed as he inched around Ria and her weapon. He shook his head.

"What are you talking about, Miss Smith? What do you mean, no one can remember?"

Ria was moments, just moments, away from bringing down everything she had learned in training upon the old man. But Isaac rushed forward, placing a hand on her whip-wielding one and forcing her to lower the weapon.

"He's genuine, Ria," Isaac muttered before adding to the Librarian, "Something's wrong. Sara, the spirit of the whip—"

"I _know_ who Sara Trantoul is," the Librarian huffed.

Isaac nodded, continuing, "She's in pain. Lots of pain. It's causing her to be weak."

"She said it was like something was pulling at her insides," Ria said, her voice hollow.

Isaac grasped Ria's shoulder, squeezing it once. The Librarian stared between the two of them.

"And people forgetting?"

Ria sighed. "No one, not even Sgt. Stone, can remember that Keisha Stone ever existed. Let alone… died. _You_ remember, right?"

The Librarian nodded. "Of course I do, Adrianna. Now, what was that business about a forgetfulness spell?"

Isaac shook his head. "I tried to discover if any spells were in effect. But the only one I could see was the blood bond that Ria and I have. No other spells."

"Hmm," the Librarian muttered, moving away from his uninvited guests into an adjoining room.

Isaac and Ria shared a glance before following after, Ria slowly trying to wind her whip back around her waist. They arrived in what looked like a room one might imagine all sorcerers had. Pedestals stood here and there, with the wall and floor being covered in strange, archaic symbols. The walls were lined with shelves, with a good portion of those shelves being covered in musty tomes. Others contained foul smelling—and looking—items that Ria honestly did not want to think about. The Librarian made his way over to the farthest wall and traced his fingers along the spines of some of the books. Ria could see the dust flying up as he did so. She crossed her arms as he withdrew a particularly large book from the shelf, cradling it in his arms as he flipped through it.

"What's going on? What spell is being worked, and when do I get to kill the person working it?" Ria asked.

But the Librarian stopped his flipping through the book, placing a finger on a passage that she clearly could not see. He shook his head.

"It's not a spell. Not per se," he said.

"Then what is it?" Isaac asked.

The old man looked up from his book, brow arched. "It's a time rift."

Ria's eyes bulged. "You mean… as in someone _screwing_ with _time_?"

"That's exactly what I mean… though, admittedly, I would not have worded it just so," he said, shutting the book with a sharp _snap_ and more dust.

Ria shook her head. "What? What? _What_? I mean… do you know what this means? I mean, it's like… like the Butterfly Effect or whatever! You step on something so small like it means nothing, but then the whole freakin' world changes! Nothing ever goes right with time travel. Nothing! Or, or… you go back in time and end up being the beginning of your bloodline… or you kill your grandfather and you fade out of life! Oh my God."

Isaac and the Librarian both stared at the huntress blankly. As if they were not entirely sure what had just happened. Once she realized that such intense stares were upon her, she shrugged.

"I've watched a lot of sci-fi in my time. And time travel has always wigged me out," she said, hugging herself.

"Anyway… time travel may be the solution, not the problem," the Librarian said, setting his book aside in favor of gathering a large, stone bowl and several of those strange items from the shelves.

Ria shook her head. "How is time travel the solution but not the problem? What else could cause a time rift?"

The Librarian sighed, setting the items down on one of the pedestals with a deliberately loud _clank_. He set his best, Mr. Hamm-like glare upon Ria, and huffed.

"I'm unsure, Miss Smith. Perhaps it is _both_ the solution and the problem. I must discover the answer in order to help you, hence the gathering of these spell items."

Isaac chuckled, and Ria smacked him. At that precise moment, Sara materialized beside the Librarian, resting one hand on the pedestal, and the other across her midsection. Ria's eyes widened.

"Sara! Are you okay?" Ria asked.

The ghost shook her head. "No. I'm not. Did I… hear that right? A time rift?"

Ria nodded. "We'll get it fixed, Sara. Like we always do. Just hang in there."

She smiled softly before disappearing from Ria's view once more.

"Sara!"

Isaac wrapped his arms around Ria, holding her close against his chest.

"It'll be all right. You told her the truth. We'll fix this," he said, and Ria wound her hands in his black shirt, gripping it tightly.

"We'll have to wait until midnight to perform the actual spell," the Librarian said, pointing to a grandfather clock behind Ria. "A few hours."

Those turned out to be the longest "few hours" of Ria's life. Sara kept popping in and out of view, and each time she seemed progressively worse. Isaac stayed close by the huntress's side, trying to keep her calm, as the Librarian continued to mix ingredients for the spell. Finally, just as the strain was beginning to make Ria's eyes feel heavy, the clock began to chime to the midnight hour. Isaac bent, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.

"Happy birthday," he whispered.

She smiled sadly at him as the Librarian began to chant his spell. It seemed to last forever, but in reality, it only took a few moments. The old man gasped, leaning over his bowl, and sucked in air as if he had just been deprived. He shook his head, his eyes shining worriedly.

"What is it? What caused it? What is it that's making Sara hurt, and everyone forget Keisha?"

"Oh… oh, child," the Librarian groaned. "Be grateful that that is all that it is happening right now."

Ria stomped forward. "Be _grateful_ that no one remembers my dead friend, and that my other friend is in intense pain? How dare you—"

"The time rift is originating in 1797," the Librarian interrupted.

Ria stopped her growing tirade. Her brow furrowed. "That year… it seems familiar."

The Librarian nodded his head. "As well it should. A keystone event—not just to your life, but to the lives of everyone in this world—has been tampered with. This was… this was a daring move by whomever did it. Honestly, it's amazing that only the three of us remain unaffected. But that will not be the case for long."

"What's the event?" Isaac asked.

The Librarian sighed. "Someone has moved Young Master Alucard from his original resting place…"

And suddenly, it all came careening through Ria's mind. The real reason why that year was just so familiar to her. She could clearly see the entry in her family's journal as though she were reading it right now. She swallowed hard.

"That was the year that Richter Belmont had been possessed by the dark priest Shaft. Had Alucard not awakened… had not sensed the imbalance… then…"

But Ria did not get a chance to finish. The Librarian nodded sagely.

"Lord Dracula would have been resurrected. And with no Belmont to stand against him and his son still in his eternal slumber… the world would have been his to do with as he wished."

"I've gotta fix this," Ria said, a soft puff of air escaping her lips. "I've got to put him back… before Castlevania rises in that year."

"Indeed," the Librarian said, moving to pull more ingredients from his shelves. "Thankfully, I _can_ send you to that time. You and Laforeze, if you so choose for him to go with you."

"I'm not staying here… you're not going alone," Isaac said, his face a rare mask of leadership.

Ria nodded. "I need you with me." Then, touching the whip, she looked back to the Librarian, adding, "And this will fix Sara?"

"If the events are connected, which I believe they are, then yes. It will."

"Then let's go," Ria said, causing the old man to sigh.

"It takes a moment to prepare such a spell, Adrianna. Also, you must know… despite my power, there are limits. I can only send you back for a certain duration of time. A duration that, mind you, only you will feel. It will be as if no time has passed here in the present."

Ria's brow furrowed. A deadline. She had a deadline to save the world. She chuckled dryly. What else was new?

"How long?" she asked.

"Two weeks."

She grinned. "Plenty of time."

So the Librarian prepared the spell, setting candles and bundles of herbs around a particular symbol drawn on the floor in the center of the room. Finally, he directed that Isaac and Ria should stand just opposite him on the outside of the symbol.

"I'll open the portal here," he said, pointing down. "And the two of you will hold hands and jump in."

Ria immediately grasped Isaac's hand, intertwining their fingers, as she nodded.

"Be warned that time rifts are tricky, temperamental things. Magically inclined creatures, for example, will be able to sense me opening this portal and will be able to use it to ride to wherever—or whenever—they so please."

"We'll be careful," Ria said.

Isaac gripped her hand as the Librarian's chanting began. With her other free hand, she held tightly to the Vampire Killer. A light, brighter than any Ria had ever seen, began to open in the center of the symbol. Slowly, it grew until it encompassed the entire area. A wind blew through the room, whipping Ria's hair and threatening to tug her forward into the hole. She held on for dear life to both Isaac and the whip.

"Jump!" the Librarian called over the roaring. "Jump now!"

They did as they were told. And the sensation that followed was strange. Ria's entire body tingled, like something that was both soft and bristly was rubbing over her skin. And she could feel Isaac next to her… but she could not see him. Nor could she see anything in front of her. Finally, however, there was a spinning, a spiraling, that began. And just as she connected with something hard, she felt Isaac's hand bounce out of hers.

The air had been knocked out of her stomach just as she began to panic, and she tasted dirt in her mouth. Her vision slowly returned to her, as her voice muttered Isaac's name.

"Ria," he said, his voice full of warning.

It took a moment before she realized why this was. Once her vision had completely returned, she found herself staring down the blade of a gleaming short sword. She followed the weapon up to its hilt and further to see a woman with the longest blonde hair Ria had ever seen standing before her. She was dressed in tall, white stockings, a green frock, and what looked like an early version of women's shorts. Her hair swept the dusty ground that Ria and Isaac had landed so forcefully upon, and her bright eyes glared down at the both of them.

"Identify yourselves," the young woman demanded.

At precisely that moment, Sara faded back into Ria's sight, gasping. Her eyes trailed up as well, gasping as she rested her gaze on the young woman's face.

"Maria… Renard," Sara said as she faded away once more, her voice sounding like a tinny echo.

Ria knew that name, and she gasped.

"Maria?" she murmured.

The woman drew back, but still held her sword at the ready. "How do you know my name?"

Ria and Isaac stared at each other in disbelief before Ria finally sighed.

"It's a long story… a long, long, long story," she said.

* * *

End Notes: And what did we think of that chapter? I promise, guys, because I've been getting a lot of this in my reviews, that you'll hear from Joachim again soon. I haven't forgotten about him. I just have to get Ria into play. I hope you all enjoyed. Please R and R! Oh, and brownie points to anyone who can guess where I got the chapter's title from!


	4. Family Portrait

A/N- Another long wait… yeah, writing and work are the main reasons. I'm still not quite on the ball with my original fiction. In fact, I'm woefully behind. I want to thank everyone for the well-wishing after reading last chapter's note. Just a little catch up: I've dropped a couple of the bangs I signed up for and opted for writing those stories that I really wanted to write the old fashioned, snail way. For an example, re: this story, ha. But, things have gotten a bit better for me. I'm getting many more hours at work—good for the money, bad for the writing. I found out a couple of weeks back that I'm having a son—yay! The only downside is that I feel constantly drained, a symptom of the pregnancy I'm to understand. It only makes sense that fatigue would be my most persistent symptom. As for the progress of this and my other fanfic stories, I actually started the process of getting this chapter out several days ago, working on my outline. I've progressed it—on this story, particularly—a few chapters, so I'll try to cut the wait down as much as possible. Does this mean a faster posting time next time? I hope, and that's the best I've got. But, you all are so understanding with this story, and for that, I thank you. Now, on with the show!

* * *

Chapter 3- Family Portrait

The tip of Maria's sword rose menacingly, and Ria now had to cross her eyes to see the very tip of it. The huntress standing before her and Isaac was glaring at them, her features hard.

"Then I suggest you tell your tale. And quickly," she demanded.

Ria's mouth open, and she faltered. She could not tell her the truth. That much was a given. Talking about screwing up a timeline even further… and no one needed the knowledge of the future. When the silence continued a moment longer, Maria shook her weapon once at them.

"Explain yourselves! How do you know of me? And… explain these strange garments you wear!"

Ria's eyes drifted down to the jeans and t-shirt she wore, then slid over to examine Isaac in his usually leather and silk black outfit. Sucking in a breath between her teeth, Ria decided to try again at this explanation.

"We're—" she began, but a small tug on her pinkie finger brought her words to a stop.

She turned, looking down to see that Isaac had worked his hand over to hers. He had a warning look in his eye, and Ria responded with a questioning glance of her own. His expression changed, and it was clear then that he intended to take charge of this explanation. He looked up at Maria, giving a small grin.

"We're vampire hunters, ma'am. From another—distant—land," Isaac explained.

Ria held in the relieved sigh she felt course through her body. Hunters from a strange land… better than what she was coming up with… which was nothing. But she nodded eagerly, picking up where Isaac left off.

"We were following a hunt here when we were, um, attacked," Ria explained.

Maria's brow lifted. Ria was almost certain she was not buying this crap. Her stance never wavering, she eyed the two still sitting on the dirty ground before her.

"That doesn't explain how you know of me," she said.

Isaac was the one cut off this time. Ria smiled.

"The heroics of the Belmont clan are known to hunters far and wide," she said.

She could feel Isaac's worried eyes upon her, but she kept her gaze leveled on Maria's. When she didn't respond, Ria continued.

"Specifically, we heard of the victories of Richter Belmont."

That got a reaction. A flicker of darkness crossed Maria's face, and her grip on her sword slackened, just a bit. It was almost as if Ria could physically see the skipped heartbeat written all over the other woman's face. Pursing her lips, Ria tried her best to dredge up any information she could remember from the Belmont Journals. Maria's look was back to stony in a second, but that other look, that sadness, was still there. And it clicked. They were here before Alucard was due to awaken… and he only did so because no Belmont was there to answer Castlevania's call. And if they were there two weeks before Alucard was supposed to awaken… then Richter had been missing for nearly a year. A new idea sparked, one that might help Ria and Isaac to _not_ get skewered by Maria before they could find the dhampire. It was risk, but at this point, the more modern huntress figured it was all in or nothing.

"We, my friend and I, mean you no harm. We were simply following a hunt, and we had heard… we had heard that there…"

"Was a darkness," Isaac picked up, a glint of pride in his eyes. "A darkness spreading over this land. We've heard of creatures that once never dared to leave Eternal Night having now entered the village here."

"We wanted to help," Ria threw in.

Isaac smiled, briefly at her. If truth be told, Ria was rather proud of the quick thinking herself. But she had long learned not to count her chickens before they had hatched. So, she turned her attention back to Maria, waiting—hoping—that she bought what they had said.

Thankfully, the sword lowered. Ria noted how it had not been put away, but she supposed that she would be reacting much the same way. But, Maria backed down enough to finally allow Ria and Isaac to get to their feet. They did so, dusting themselves off as best as possible. And, for the first time, Ria took in her surroundings.

They were at the edge of a village, just off to the left of a well-worn dirt road. And, if Ria squinted hard enough, she could almost picture where the buildings and homes that were there in her time would be. They were on the path that led directly from Belmont Manor into town, and that much, at least, was still true. Maria shook her head, crossing her free arm about her waist.

"Yes… yes, all of that's true," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

Her bright eyes fell to Ria's waist, and then the suspicion returned. She took a step forword, reaching out and grasping the Vampire Killer—the modern one—that hung about Ria like a belt. She yanked on it, and, due to Ria's now very experienced method of using it as a fashion accessory, it stayed in place, causing her to take an involuntary step forward herself.

"This," Maria demanded, glared at Ria. "Where did you get this?"

Shit. She fought hard to keep that word from slipping out. Of course Maria would know what the Vampire Killer looked like! It was then that Ria made a quick note to self, if she ever had to time-travel again, she would take a moment to work out some of the finer details… or _any_ details.

"It's nothing special," was the first thing Ria could force out as an answer. As this obviously was not satisfying Maria, who still gripped the weapon possessively, she continued, "I know what it looks like, but it's just an ordinary whip… it happens to be the weapon I'm best at."

Isaac groaned as Maria let go and the sword came up again. Ria raised her hands.

"I just meant that vampires everywhere fear the Belmont's whip! It's a replica, just to add a bit of fear!" Ria squeaked.

A beat of silence, and Maria huffed out a laugh as she lowered the sword. "An ordinary whip will do you no good against the creatures of the night."

"I soak it in holy water," Ria lied defensively.

Maria nodded. "Clever."

Ria looked over to Isaac and had to fight the urge to laugh at the flabbergasted look on his face. Apparently, he sorely underestimated her ability to lie when necessary. That, and her years of watching time travel movies and noting the obvious stupidity in some of them. In fact, a part of her felt as if she had prepped for this her entire life, while the other part of her knew that that was utter crap.

"We're here only to offer our help," Isaac said, wiping the look off of his face in an attempt to get back on subject.

Maria nodded. It was clear to see that the huntress—Ria's own age, she realized in a flash—was still not entirely trustful of the pair. But that was just good common sense. As it was, they had earned enough of her trust for her to whirl on heel, the ends of her overly-long hair sweeping Ria's ankles. Maria jerked her head in the direction of Belmont Manor—which, Ria reminded herself, she was not to know—and urged them to follow.

"I'll introduce you to my sister, Annette. Richter's wife," Maria said as their feet crunched on the gravel and dirt road.

"You're too kind, m'lady," Isaac said as the two of them fell into step behind her.

Ria pursed her lips. All those pet names, and he had never thought to try "m'lady" on her? It was kind of nice. But now was neither the time—inner giggle-snort—nor place. They were quiet for a moment as they traveled up the somewhat familiar sloping, albeit unpaved, road. Finally, Maria glanced over her shoulder, as if remembering the two were there.

"What have you heard about this darkness?" she asked, her voice just loud enough to reach her guests.

Everything, Ria thought. But she knew, once more, that she could not be completely honest. So, instead, she decided just to be as honest as possible. It reminded her of a time, not too long ago, when Sophy had been unaware of Ria's nocturnal activities… honesty to a point. It was never something Ria had really enjoyed.

"There's rumor that the vampires here are getting headstrong… attacking in the village… nearly in the open. And…"

Here, Ria paused. Her tongue snaked out, wetting her lips as she weighed over in her mind how much she wanted Maria to know that she and Isaac knew. Biting lightly at her bottom lip, she glanced over at Isaac, whose face was the most unreadable Ria had ever seen. She turned her eyes back onto the leading figure of Maria and sighed.

"And we've heard that… that there's no one here fighting them."

Maria didn't respond, but both of them saw her shoulders slump forward just a tad. It didn't take a mind reader to know what she was feeling. Isaac rested a hand on Ria's shoulder for a moment before adding, "The darkness is leaking into our land. We've come to stop it at its source."

At that, Maria huffed humorlessly. "Then my sister is definitely who we should see."

The rest of their relatively short hike was conducted in silence. After a moment, Ria felt Isaac's hand intertwine with hers, and she flashed him just a small smile. Her free hand drifted low, landing on her own Vampire Killer. Sara had been in such pain when she last appeared, and Ria could not strip that image from her mind. And, in their time, Keisha had never existed. And Alucard was missing—unbeknownst to anybody—in this time. It all weighed heavily on Ria as the three of them turned onto the gently rising hill atop which sat Belmont Manor.

Ria was only somewhat surprised to see how similar it looked to her own version of it. It still loomed over its yard, and it still possessed the same small steps up to the front entrance. The paved driveway and attached garage were missing, of course, but other than that… the doors were the same, the windows were the same, and even the coloration was the same. Maria entered the manor, and Ria noted how she never formerly invited them in. A smart move, and she seemed pleased when Isaac and Ria were able to cross the threshold with no issue.

"Wait here, and I'll retrieve Annette," Maria said, turning and disappearing in the direction of what would be Ria's living room.

Even by candlelight, the inside looked the same. Sure, there were no light fixtures, but there were sconces. And, oddly, they sort of fit in better. It was almost eerie how much this place from so long ago still seemed to feel like home. Ria cautioned herself right then and there that she had to remain careful with her actions… if Maria and Annette thought she was too familiar with this manor, then who knew what could happen.

"Strange, isn't it?" Isaac said softly, bending to speak the words in Ria's ears.

Her eyes widened as his breath tickled her ear causing a pleasant shudder to travel down her spine. If Isaac noticed this reaction, which Ria immediately found embarrassing, he made no mention of it. She nodded, trying to get her eyes back to normal.

"This is how I felt when I awoke in your time," he added, leaning away.

She had never thought of that. Isaac had adapted so quickly to their world. She supposed that she had always assumed that it had been easy for him. She never took into account how strange it must have been to see the whole world changed around you. She opened her mouth, about to comment on this, when Maria appeared in the threshold between the foyer and the future living room of Ria's home.

"Follow me, please," she said.

They did so without hesitation. Oddly enough, the "living room" was still decorated as a sitting room, and they passed right through it. They appeared in another hallway, and it took Ria only a second to realize where she was being led. They were going to the portrait gallery. Her hand shot out, gripping Isaac's arm. There was no good reason behind it, but Ria just did _not_ want to see this room. She could not put her finger on it, but a part of her wanted desperately to go this entire time travel excursion without setting one single foot in that place. But it seemed that this was going to happen as the door stood wide open, and Maria strode in with barely a thought.

Ria paused at the threshold, rooted to the spot. Sighing, Isaac placed a hand in the middle of her back, shoving her in the rest of the way. She shot him a small glare, and the look he returned seemed to question her hesitation. But there was no time to give him any kind of answer. Standing from her place in one of the red velvet upholstered chairs, Annette Belmont greeted them. She was dressed in a long, emerald gown much the same color of the garments that her younger sister wore. Her own blonde hair was pulled back into a small bun and tied in a ribbon to match. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were bright and sad. Maria walked over to her sibling, turning only when she had reached her side.

"Tell my sister what you have told me," she said.

Isaac and Ria exchanged a look, with Ria clearing her throat once. The whole point of this trip had been to _anonymously_ find and place Alucard back in his proper place… and now Ria's whole damn lineage was involved. But there was nothing to do about it now, since she had a tugging feeling that if they deviated from their unplanned course now that she and Isaac might be burned at the stake… or stoned… or whatever they were doing to witches during this time.

So Ria and Isaac, taking turns, repeated their half-made up reasoning for being where they were now. At the end of it, Annette was misty-eyed and sniffling. Ria's eyes widened once more. Holding up her hands, she said, "We didn't mean to make you cry!"

Isaac sighed, but said nothing. Annette only shook her head.

"Richter has been missing for a year. And, for the past several months the only souls who have continued to believe that he could still be alive are… myself and Maria. To have two hunters arrive to help fight the darkness that has taken advantage of my husband's disappearance…"

She paused, pressing pale fingertips to her lips. Shaking her head once more, she sighed.

"Please. Please, help Maria find my Richter."

Ria gulped, hoping it was not audible. This was not supposed to happen.

"Please, promise me," Annette added.

Discreetly, Ria reached back for Isaac. This was a promise that, even made, could not be kept. Ria was not the one to find Richter, and she and Isaac alone were the only ones with that knowledge. Alucard would find him, possessed by Shaft, within the walls of the newly risen Castlevania. And if there was one thing Ria hated was to make promises she could not keep. After all, the last time that had happened, her best friend had ended up dead. But she felt Isaac's hands resting firmly on her shoulders.

"We will. We swear," he agreed.

Shit. But she nodded along. Annette grinned.

"Thank you. Now, I imagine you will need a place to stay. Please allow me to extend my hospitality to you. Stay here in the manor with Maria and I."

Well, that solved that problem. Ria smiled. "Thank you. We will."

Annette moved to bustle by them, nodding now in a determined, making a mental-list way.

"I'll have the servants prepare a room for the two of you."

But at that, just past the two of them as they turned to keep their attention on her, she paused. Arching a pale brow, she added, "The two of you are… husband and wife, correct?"

At this point, Ria was more aware than ever that Isaac's hands were still gently gripping her shoulders. She could feel the hot blush coloring her cheeks as the thought of sharing a bed with Isaac—something she had explicitly _not_ done yet—flew through her mind. She shook her head, maybe a little harder than necessary. Above her, although she did not even look up, she could feel the smug grin on the former forgemaster's face. Annette chuckled, a knowing grin lighting up her features.

"Two rooms, then," she said, leaving the room.

"Huh," Maria said, stepping forward. "My sister hasn't smiled like that since before Richter vanished."

It was almost as if Ria could feel the tension of the suspicion the other huntress still held lift. Isaac and Ria both looked to Maria to see her grinning brightly at them.

"You must be starved from your travels. Would you like to eat?"

"Please," Ria said, her stomach suddenly deciding to remind her that she had missed the dinner with her mother.

Maria nodded and left the room. Once she was gone, Ria turned and was struck with the sudden memory of where she was. Half the portraits, at least, were missing, and all of the ones that hung that Ria was familiar with were in a much newer condition—still not new, but newer. The mantle over the fire place still held the plaque where she had found the Vampire Killer, and, like it would be in her time, it was empty. Not even finding the will to cross to the chairs, Ria sat, cross-legged, upon the polished floor. Isaac seemed startled by this, stooping as if Ria had fallen instead of just sat down.

"Ria?" he asked. "What's the matter?"

She shook her head, feeling the warmth of her tears welling up. Sniffling before they could even fall, she looked up at Isaac.

"It's stupid," she said.

He arched a brow at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I didn't want to come in here," she said. And, suddenly, she understood why. "I knew this would happen. My whole life, Isaac… my whole life I've felt… distant from my family. Like there was always something I didn't know. I mean, I didn't think about it much when my father was alive… but I felt it, even before I knew about this whole family legacy thing. But being here… in this manor, in this room, in this time, with these people… it's real. I mean, I've fought Dracula and Galamoth, and met Alucard, but this is the first time it really feels _real_."

Tears were rolling down now, and she pushed herself to her feet, wiping them away and trying her best to regain herself.

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes drifting over to the portrait of Sara. "I wish Sara was here and all right… But… it's like I finally understand."

Isaac pulled Ria against him, wrapping his arms securely about her.

"It's not stupid. I understand how you feel… but… we have to focus. To save both Sara and ourselves… and, to an extent, even to save these people, your family."

Ria nodded, her eyes slowly drying. "I know. I know that."

Isaac let her go, letting her get some air, while still holding tightly to her hand.

"Sara will be fine. We _will_ fix this. Because I know that you can do just that."

Ria smiled, nodding. "I hope so."

Isaac grinned, a bit of that familiar cavalier-ness to it. "I know so."

* * *

End Notes: And that's this chapter. I know, I know, still no Joachim… keep reading, folks, I swear you won't be disappointed on that front, winkwink. I look forward to hearing from you all, and can't wait to read your reviews!


	5. Unscripted

A/N- These waits aren't getting any shorter, are they? Yeah, work, other writing, fanfic challenges—I have a problem, okay; and baby related things are to blame. Anyway, I'm coming off a great July 4th having gone to my relatives' to see the fireworks show we put on every year. I also am just now fully recovered—as of a handful of days earlier to me writing this note—from a stomach flu that was… strange in comparison to those I suffered in the past. You do not want the details to all of that. Currently, other than writing and work, I'm also discussing the plans of my baby shower with my friends and beginning to prep my living area for the addition it will receive in August. But, as always, you are loyal readers, and I thank you so much! On with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 4- Unscripted

It was wonderful. Glorious! Heaven on Earth!

That last thought made Joachim chuckle as he skirted the shadows of the small village that had grown up around the forest that housed Castlevania. Walter Bernhard—that arrogant bastard—was dead, as far as he could tell. That fact almost made him want to skip down the road like a young girl. No one feared him. It was the one called Dracula they feared, the name they whispered just before they made the sign of the Cross over their chest. Joachim was positively alight.

With his sire long dead and gone, he was truly free in this time. And what a time it was. Things had changed, he could tell. He was a creature of the ether—of magic, even before he had been made a vampire. He could tell that things were not going as this timeline had thought they would. And all because he moved one little bitty half-blood vampire. This Alucard, this son of the feared Dracula, must be ever _so_ important.

Joachim pressed his pale fingers to his lips, trying to assuage the deep laughter that was threatening to spill through. So much to ponder on, so much to play with. In fact, he hardly even knew where to start. He made himself focus—truly a difficult task—on the moment at hand, and the location he was in. He was well inside the village now, which was largely shut up for the night. These humans were not stupid. They were well acquainted with the creatures that stalked the night. They knew what was to be feared. And while that gave Joachim an odd sense of pride in his fellow vampires—and whomever the Hell this Dracula was—it made finding a playmate very difficult.

The night was young, but his patience was already being tested. He had spent too long, _too long_ locked up by Walter. He craved… well, he craved blood. But he was not so savage. He had heard stories of other vampires, kept locked away by nasty little hunters or their own sires—like Joachim, which upon escaping savaged the first beast they found. Joachim was a lord, a proper vampire to be feared. His talents were not to be wasted.

And then he smelled her. She smelled of roses, sweat, flour, and fear. Staying to the shadows of a nearby building, Joachim searched the open space—lit by the moon above and a few torches left to burn—for the source of the intoxicating scent. He heard her quick footsteps just as his eyes fell upon her form.

She was young, maybe no older than sixteen or seventeen years. Her hair was a dark, chocolate brown and shoved up underneath a cloth cap. A few locks of it were falling loose as her round face glanced back and forth, in front of her and behind, her simple dress kicking up small clouds of dirt with her speed. One arm was wrapped about her waist—slender, but still curved to full hips—while her other hand was clasping the front of her dress as though it were her racing heart. Joachim could hear the beat of it even from where he stood. He grinned. Muttering a few words in Latin, he held up a hand in the direction of the young woman, twisting his hands as if he were grasping a rope about to sweep by. With a squeaky gasp of surprise, she came to a complete stop in her tracks. Joachim watched for a moment longer as she struggled to move from her spot in the middle of the village. But she was a mouse, caught in a cat's snare.

Using his preternatural speeds, Joachim was sure that it appeared to her as if he had just popped up out of nowhere. She gasped, her entire body shaking. He could see it in her eyes—as chocolate brown as her hair. She knew what he was.

"Hello, pretty mouse," he grinned at her, deciding that that was a fine name for her.

Now she was trembling so hard that had Joachim's spell not been in place, she would have surely fallen over. Her eyes were growing glassy with tears she was struggling to contain, and her heartbeat had increased even more.

"P-please, milord. Please… let me go. I just want to go home," she said, her words faltering at the last statement.

"Aww," he said, hooking a finger underneath her chin. "Poor thing. Late returning from a lover's rendezvous, perhaps? Little girls like you should know to fear what may be hiding in the shadows. Surely mother taught you?"

"No! I wasn't—! Please… oh, God have mercy… please, let me go!" she pleaded, trying to shout the words, but finding they would not come out any louder than a hoarse whisper.

"God? Is it God that has you trapped here, child? And, if you truly think so, it's a fine compliment."

But she was retreating within herself, as so many fearful girls tended to do. Her lips were moving, the words of a prayer that Joachim knew once—he thought—when he was human spilling forth. He laughed at her, shaking his head.

"Child, if I've learned anything in my long life, both living and not, it is that God doesn't hear you. And soon, dear mouse, no one else will either."

…

The sun had risen on the first day that Isaac and Ria would be spending in the year 1797. Annette had been true to her word, providing the young huntress and her, ahem, friend with separate rooms. Of course, she had also been kind enough to provide them with decent clothing, stating that while their garments might be acceptable in their land, it would surely draw the wrong kind of attention in this village. She had attempted to give Ria a dress similar to her own, but thankfully, Maria had intervened, pointing out that hunting vampires in a dress was not an activity to be undertaken.

So, when Ria emerged into the dining room of the manor, she was dressed in an outfit that she could have only imagined belonged to Richter a few years ago. The pants were loose, but not so much so that they did not fit, and were a dark brown material that Ria could not recognize on sight or touch. She had to tuck in the blue, cloth shirt that she wore, rolling up the sleeves to keep them from falling about an inch or so too far past her fingertips. And she had graciously accepted the long piece of brown suede rope to tie back her short, blonde hair with. After all of this, if Ria were honest with herself, she thought she'd fit in rather well as a believable foreigner in this time. That was, of course, until Isaac saw her.

He was already seated at the long table, not looking much different than what he had when they had separated for bed the night before—even though she knew for a fact that Annette had provided him with new clothing as well. As soon as his eyes caught Ria's, a look of deep amusement lit them, and she could see him biting hard on his bottom lip, his body shaking with unreleased laughter.

"What?" she asked, taking the seat across from him.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all, Ria."

At this, Annette looked up, surveying her young guest. An odd light was in her eye, but the smile on her lips was bright.

"That's… much better," she said.

Ria's brow furrowed, and she opened her mouth, close to asking what this obvious joke was that she was _obviously_ missing. However, Maria's entrance into the room ended all hope of that.

The other huntress was trailed by a woman whose face was all red and blotchy, and positively soaked in tears that were still falling. The feeling like a stone settling into her stomach hit Ria. She knew this look all too well, and she immediately pushed herself out of the chair she had just taken, the move followed by Isaac.

"What's wrong?" Ria asked, stepping a bit closer to Maria and the older woman.

"Oh… milord…" the woman sobbed, and Ria could have smacked Isaac for the snort of laughter he allowed to escape.

"I'm a girl," Ria corrected, hoping that the words came out more gently than what she was feeling.

Well, the joke was figured out. The older woman's brown eyes widened, and she shook her head apologetically. But Ria waved it off, motioning for her to continue.

"My daughter… it's my daughter. She's—she's—"

But a sob choked her, and she shoved her face into her hands and all but collapsed on Maria's shoulder. Now Ria turned to her fellow huntress, waiting for her to explain.

"Perhaps you ought to follow me," she said, wrapping an arm about the woman's shoulders and turning her toward the exit of the manor.

Ria and Isaac exchanged a glance but said nothing as they followed after Maria. She led the group out of the manor and down the sloping hill. They turned toward the village, and Ria's hand and flew to her waist, pleased to find that she had indeed wrapped her whip there. She glanced up at Isaac, one hand still on the Vampire Killer. The former forgemaster slipped a hand onto her shoulder, squeezing it once before letting it drop to his side once more.

She had not had much opportunity to discuss it—and it seemed, what with this morning trip into the village, that there would not be one soon—but Sara had not been seen. Not since the night before when Sara had appeared and recognized Maria. And, though this was not something that Ria usually thought much on, she had come to realize that her feeling of Sara was… weak. Usually, even when Sara chose not to visibly appear to Ria, she could always touch the whip and know that her ghostly mentor was still around. But now… that feeling was almost a ghost in and of itself.

A loud sob from the woman still leaning on Maria brought Ria's mind back to the present, and she realized that she had been dwelling in her own head for long enough as they were now entering the village. The four continued forward until they reached an area close to the town square, where a handful of young men were standing guard over something that Ria could not make out.

"Thank you," Maria said to the men, all but waving them off as they approached.

As soon as they disappeared, all murmuring various words of condolences, Ria was able to see what they had been standing watch over. The body of a young woman, her throat all but torn out with her own blood staining her dress and face, lay before them. Her skin was ashen pale, her eyes—the same eyes that the sobbing older woman shared—frozen open in terror. Ria felt her hands clench as she fought to keep her face neutral. This poor girl was quite obviously the woman's daughter.

"She was visiting a friend in the village," the woman began to explain, the words bursting out like a flood. "I told her. I _told_ her, be home before dark. Oh… oh, I knew… I knew last night… before I saw her…"

"A vampire did this," Maria said, and Ria thought that that was a little bit of stating the obvious. "But… I've never seen one so… brutal."

The woman was still clinging to Maria as if her life depended on it, sobbing into her shoulder and shaking like a leaf. Maria's eyes glanced over her, falling to Ria and Isaac.

"Maybe you ought to take her home," Isaac said softly.

"We'll deal with this part," Ria all but whispered.

Maria nodded, turning like she knew the way, and heading deeper into the village. The moment the other huntress was out of earshot, Isaac approached the body, staring sadly down upon it.

"She won't rise," he said plainly.

Ria nodded. "I didn't think so. Not after this."

Neither spoke for a moment, both of their gazes glued to the woman's mutilated form. Ria's stomach was in a knot, but not for the brutality. Since becoming a huntress, she had dealt with her share of sicko vampires… and other creatures. But this… something felt wrong. Out of place. Maria had said she had never seen a vampire killing done so brutally, and Ria felt like that statement was important for reasons that Maria could not possibly know. Isaac, meanwhile, had bent, and was now running his hand over the body, held several inches above actually touching the poor woman. Sighing, he stood, still staring down at her.

"This wasn't your average vampire," he said.

"Yeah. Got that," Ria said, a little acidity dripping from the words.

But Isaac turned his look to her, shaking his head. "No, you don't understand. Magic was used here. Only vampire lords have that ability. Or vampires who might have been sorcerers in life, but it was my understanding while I served Dracula that even then they had to build up their vampiric powers before magic became accessible to them again."

Ria pursed her lips, that knot in her stomach tightening. She inched closer to Isaac, her voice dropping to a whisper despite the fact that no one was within earshot. Apparently, this sort of thing drove the villagers inside, which she thought was wise of them.

"You mean… like Orlox and Dracula? Could it have been Orlox? He was around during this time. I remember reading, in the journals…"

But Ria cut herself off, turning to gaze in the direction of Eternal Night. Though, in comparison to the events of the previous fall, Orlox had been an easy battle, Ria did not like to remember him as such. Instead, her mind always ventured to the night she had met him, standing just feet outside her front door, where Sophy had been sleeping just beyond. She could almost feel Isaac shaking his head as she turned to stare back at him.

"No. It doesn't feel like him."

Her brow arched. "What?"

Isaac shrugged. "Magic… well, it leaves traces that are specific to its user. Sort of like fingerprints. I've been around Orlox, and this doesn't feel like him. I don't know who this was."

For some reason, that made Ria feel even worse. Her lips once again pursed into a thin line, she remained quiet for a moment, lost in thought. Finally, Isaac bent so that he was directly in her eye-line.

"What is it?" he asked.

Ria sighed. "I don't remember this."

Now it was Isaac's turn to arch a brow. "Come again?"

"In the journals. When I first found them, I read them cover to cover. True, I thought my family were a bunch of crazies then. But, when I realized that all of it was real, I kept going back to reread certain portions. Especially the parts with Alucard, due to that whole Dracula deception and, you know, actually meeting him. I've probably read Maria and Richter's entries at least ten times. And this, right here? This brutal death that Maria said she's never seen anything like before? It's not in there. This didn't happen."

Isaac was eyeing her a bit warily now. "So… what are you saying, Ria?"

Crossing her arms, she sighed. "Do you remember what the Librarian said? About creatures taking advantage in the rift, and in the fact that we were time traveling? I think… Isaac, I think this is _our_ fault."

A chuckle, deep and dark, escaped Isaac. He smiled grimly.

"Actually… that sounds about like our luck."

At that point, the sound of dirt crunching underfoot caused both to turn and see that Maria—without the sobbing woman—had returned. She came to a stop across the body from her fellow hunters.

"So… what do you make of this?" she asked. "Do you think it could have anything to do with Richter's disappearance?"

Isaac and Ria exchanged a glance before Ria finally shrugged.

"I'm not sure if it could be connected to Richter's disappearance… but this was certainly not your average vampire."

Maria's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Isaac was quick to explain it to her, just as he had to Ria. At the end of it, the other young huntress nodded.

"Then we must stop this creature before it can strike again. I'll alert some of the men of the village to properly dispose of this poor woman's body, and then we shall go to the manor and prepare for the hunt tonight."

With that, Maria whirled, heading back off into the village. Ria groaned, shaking her head.

"Only two weeks to fix this crap. This is _so_ not what we need."

Isaac only nodded.

* * *

End Notes: And that's this chapter. It's a little shorter than what you should be used to for these stories, but it is setting up… well, it's setting up a whole mess of problems for Ria and Isaac. I hope you all enjoyed, and I can't wait to hear from you!


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